Every few months, I come up with some sort of quip or saying that I overuse to the point of exhaustion. Recently, one that sticks out is when a loved one is describing a situation they perceive to be difficult, and they're lining up their doubts about it. Once they're done, I always ask them, "What do the great ones do?" Sometimes they answer, and give some kind of response about what someone great would do in their situation. Sometimes they get mad because it seems like I didn't listen to a word they just said, and was waiting for my turn to speak. Other times, they just throw their hands up and say they don't know. No matter their response, I just say "...They find a way."
It's a simple sentiment, but I do believe in it. How else are you going to become great at something without overcoming a little adversity first? The greatest breakthroughs of my life haven't come because I had all the answers; rather, I had the opposite amount of them, and worked until I found them on my own. These answers never come in a place you'd expect them to, and that's what makes the lessons learned along the way all the more impactful.
For a while, it felt like Underoath, the greatest metalcore band of all time, was never going to find their way. In-fighting, cross-band drama, member changes, and a breakneck pace derailed their career, leading to a brief farewell tour in January of 2013. In seemingly an instant, one of the most influential bands in the history of emo was gone, without a fitting farewell. It didn't seem fair, and it certainly didn't leave people satisfied. A documentary that gave fans an inside view of the band's final days showed the emotion of their farewell, and gave a hint that there was unfinished business. Sure enough, like so many bands who have "called it quits" over the past half-decade, all it took was a few years away to appreciate what they'd built for the original members of the band to come back together. An ambitious Rebirth tour where the band played both (They're Only Chasing Safety) and Define the Great Line front-to-back was announced, followed by the release of Erase Mein 2018. January of 2022 ended up being a momentous milestone for the band, this time for all the best reasons: Voyeurist, their second release post-hiatus, was unleashed to the world on the 14th, and provides a perfect marriage of the ambitions present on Define with the melody of Erase Me. It's resulted in yet another phenomenal collection of songs, perhaps their strongest to date.
Of course, once Omicron released its chokehold on live music, it was time for Underoath to depart onto the Voyeurist tour, but this time, it was another band's turmoil that turned things on their head. Every Time I Die's well-documented demise took over the news cycle for two weeks straight, with back-and-forth banter undoing a once-perfect reputation (sound familiar?). Just two months before their first cross-country dates since COVID-19 shut the world down in 2020, and Underoath just lost the direct support for the tour, and one of their fellow titans of the scene.
What do the great ones do? They find a way.
Underoath worked quickly to add Stray from the Path and Bad Omens to the tour, and both bands added another element to the evening at the tour's stop at Starland Ballroom. First up was Stray, whose straight-up hardcore was the perfect shot of energy to open up the crowd, who showed up in droves as soon as doors opened. With all of the detail and production that went into each band after they played, Stray stood out from the rest by taking a no-bull approach, choosing instead to use the stage as their sparring partner, violently stomping through each song and providing the perfect kick-start to the show.
Those fans who arrived early may have been lining the barricade for Bad Omens, whose new album The Death of Peace of Mind is making waves within metalcore. I knew very little about the band besides a previous fiasco in which they dropped off of a tour with Senses Fail and The Amity Affliction, allegedly because their name wasn't big enough on the tour admat. Regardless of that, I was ready to give the band their proper chance, and they didn't disappoint. Vocalist Noah Sebastian is a quickly-rising star in the genre, and it's clear to see why. He's a commanding presence onstage, and whether he's hitting high notes or unleashing his low-register growls, he sounds great on each track the band performs. The rest of the band -- guitarist Nicholas Ruffilo, bassist Joakim Karlsson, and drummer Nick Folio -- all brought great energy, and their set definitely has The Death of Peace of Mind on my radar as I develop my top albums list this year.
You want to know how to tell if your band's getting huge? Well, if you're Spiritbox, the Voyeurist tour is a pretty clear indicator. When they were announced as the openers of the tour, it was considered a big get--for Underoath. The band's second full-length Eternal Blue was released late in 2021, and earned the band some serious buzz throughout the scene, and ushered the band onto bigger and bigger stages as Sirius XM started to play their songs, too. Then, when it was announced that ETID would no longer be on the tour, the decision was made to move Spiritbox into the direct support slot, and not a single person questioned the move. When you watch the band's set, you understand why they're getting the attention they are: they deserve it. A technical, intricate band who writes booming choruses and knows when to crank things up to 11, along with another superstar in the making in vocalist Courtney LaPlante. Playing a set consisting mostly of Eternal Blue's standouts, with a surprise guest feature from Will Ramos of NJ's own Lorna Shore, the crowd's excitement for the band was evident, and it may not be much longer before it's Spiritbox headlining and selling out Starland.
A four-band bill can be a lot to mosh through, but when the prize at the end of the night is the GOAT in metalcore, the wait--and the body aches afterwards--don't seem so bad. Tearing onto the stage with Voyeurist lead single "Damn Excuses," Underoath's arrival was more of an ambush than an announcement, with each member of the band thrashing across the stage in perfect harmony. The crowd, who greeted each band on the bill with the reverence they each deserved, had clearly saved plenty for the headliner, and they were moshing and crowd surfing and everything else from the first song to the very list. When a band's entire setlist feels like it belongs on a greatest hits album, it makes it easy for the crowd to stay invested. Sure, plenty of people were mainly there to hear "A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White" and then rush home to their kids so they didn't have to pay their babysitter for another hour, but for every fan that was there for the band's older material, there was another fan who was pumped to hear Voyeurist standouts like "Pneumonia" and "Thorn," which perfectly fit in with "Breathing in a New Mentality" and "Too Bright to See Too Loud to Hear." The band's energy matched their audience's, as it was difficult to point out a member who stayed still for long, if they did at all.
As the last notes of "Writing on the Walls" rang out and the house lights flashed on, I immediately began reflecting on what a great night Underoath was able to curate, depsite the early feelings that Every Time I Die's departure from the tour would loom too large over the evening. Instead, Underoath was able to show respect to one of the most renowned hardcore bands in the scene in Stray from the Path, and give props to two fast-rising bands in Bad Omens and Spiritbox. Then, after showing off what they were able to put together, and with each band touching on how influential Underoath had been in their music, it was thier turn. During one of his few talking breaks, Spencer Chamberlain was surprisingly nostalgic, mentioning that the band had to learn from a lot of mistakes in their past (including the "breakup"), but that they were happy that were able to grow out of it alongside their fans, so many of whom used the band's music to help grow through the tough times. Somehow, Underoath has found a way to become the well-oiled, well-respected, and well-rounded machine we see them as today. In doing so, they've also shown those who struggle that the way through difficult times can always be found, so long as you never stop searching for it.
Comments